The Health Care Leaders of Tomorrow

As health care continues to evolve, perhaps no group is more vital to the future of the pharmacy profession than the students who are set to inherit it.

Patients have long understood the value of their pharmacists, with a recent Gallup poll ranking pharmacists as among the most honest and ethical professionals in the United States.¹ However, with provider status on the horizon, pharmacists are posed to play a more active and patient-centric role on the health care team. Furthermore, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected that pharmacist employment will expand slowly yet steadily over the next 7 years due, in part, to an increased demand for pharmacists in a variety of health care settings.²

Pharmacy students stand at the threshold of these changes, and the profession will turn to their talents and innovation to lead health care forward. To help students navigate the shifting pharmacy landscape, this issue of Pharmacy Careers offers information on residencies, insights into the growing field of medical affairs, and suggestions for students with entrepreneurial aspirations. Students planning to attend this year’s American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition in Orlando in December will also find advice on how to prepare for the conference and what to do afterward. Finally, be sure to check out the Viewpoints article by American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy CEO Lucinda L. Maine, PhD, RPh, who discusses her experiences and shares her thoughts on potential career paths for pharmacists.

With new changes come new opportunities, and I encourage all pharmacy students to embrace both change and opportunity as they grow into the health care providers and leaders of tomorrow.

Thank you for reading!

Mike Hennessy, Sr

Chairman and CEO

References

• Norman J. Americans rate healthcare providers high on honesty, ethics [news release]. Washington, DC: Gallup; December 19, 2016. gallup.com/poll/200057/americans-rate-healthcare-providers-high-honesty-ethics.aspx?g_source=Social%20Issues&g_medium=newsfeed&g_campaign=tiles. Accessed September 20, 2017.
• Pharmacist job outlook. Bureau of Labor Statistics website. bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/pharmacists.htm#tab-6. Published December 17, 2015. Accessed September 20, 2017.